Teens with mood disorders at greater risk for car crashes, less likely to acquire licenses

Key takeaways:

• Youth with mood disorders were 30% less likely to acquire their driver’s licenses.
• Licensed youth with mood disorders also had higher rates of crashes, moving rate violations and license suspensions.

Youth with mood disorders were significantly less likely to receive their driver’s license compared with those without disorders, a study published in JAMA Network Open demonstrated.

Additionally, “our results indicate that newly licensed youths with mood disorders have a greater risk of crashing than other young drivers, but that this is a manageable risk,” Allison E. Curry, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a press release.

In the study, Curry and colleagues examined a cohort of New Jersey youth with (n = 1,879) and without (n = 84,294) mood disorders — born between 1987 through 2000 — using data from the New Jersey Safety and Health Outcomes Data Warehouse.

They found that at 48 months after license eligibility, 83.8% (95% CI, 83.5%-84.1%) and 75.5% (95% CI, 73.3%-77.7%) of youth with and without mood disorders had acquired a license, respectively.

Overall, youths with mood disorders were 30% less likely to acquire a license than those without mood disorders (adjusted HR = 0.7; 95% CI, 0.66-0.74).

Additionally, licensed youth with mood disorders had higher overall crash rates at 12 months (adjusted RR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01-1.34) and 48 months (aRR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.08-1.31) vs. licensed youth without mood disorders.

Rates of moving violations (aRR = 1.25; 95% CI,1.13-1.38) and license suspensions (aRR = 1.95; 95% CI, 1.53-2.49) were also higher among youth with mood disorders at 48 months.

The researchers noted that clinicians caring for youth with mood disorders “should discuss current best practices on driving and licensure outcomes with their patients and families.”

“Shared decision-making conversations may help families determine the best balance of autonomy and safety among youths of driving age,” they wrote. “Given the delay in license acquisition, with a slight increase in hazardous driving behavior, opportunities may exist to enhance driving safety in this population.”

There were some study limitations. For example, some youth who did not have mood disorders may have developed disorders during the follow-up period, and the findings may not be generalizable to a larger population.

Ultimately, the results “point to the need to develop evidence-based training and education for adolescents and young adults with mood disorders who want to drive,” Curry said.

References:

• Youths with mood disorders 30 percent less likely to acquire driver’s license than peers. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1040206. Published April 8, 2024. Accessed April 8, 2024.
• Gaw C, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5543.